So in the last two articles, Mitesh discussed the relative advantages and disadvantages of barefoot running. It still comes down to personal preferences and some people are quite rightly saying, “But people have run marathons in running shoes for years and are ok, so why should I change?” Well, although this may be the case DURING their running careers, many of those long distance athletes are only NOW starting to suffer from knee, hip and ankle degenerative changes at a later age. Are their running shoes to blame or the distances they ran? No one can really say for sure, but since the evidence does show that running with shoes does increase the forces generated at the knee and hip during running, we can deduce that this contributes to their injuries.
But how does one start barefoot running? Do you suddenly ditch the expensive running shoes and take to the road?
The answer is NO, unless you want bad blisters and pain…!!
In his book entitled Barefoot running step-by-step, (it’s a worthwhile read if you want to take barefoot running more seriously, as is Born to Run-Christopher McDougall) “Barefoot” Ken Bob suggests the following program in order to ease into running without shoes.
Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | |
Mon | 5 min | 10 min | 15 min | 20 min |
Wed | 5 min | 15 min | 15 min | 20 min |
Fri | 10 min | 15 min | 20 min | 25 min |
The above is for injured or novice barefoot runners and he also gives a different table for non-injured veteran runners. Also, expect some small blisters and callous formation as this is part of “hardening” the foot.
Some important points to note when getting started:
- SLOWLY! Go slow at first and get used to it. If you do too much to quick you will most likely develop injuries.
- Walk around barefoot at home or in the garden as often as possible.
- Run “quietly”. Imagine you are running through a room of sleeping lions! If your foot hits the ground with a thud, then you are not absorbing shock correctly. To do this:
- Shorten your stride (take smaller steps) to avoid hitting your heel against the ground. You should rather be landing on the ball or mid-foot section of the foot.
- Make sure your knee doesn’t straighten out all the way when you swing it forward.
- Avoid bouncing up and down. Keep a smooth, “light” feeling to the run.
People tend to start barefoot running on soft ground, but this is not ideal, as you are unaware of the impact you are actually placing on the foot. Rather start on a hard surface and you will quickly realise if you are going too fast/hard.
One last thing on minimalistic shoes (like Vibram’s 5 finger), yes they are good for protection and to get used to less cushioning, but they don’t give the same level of feedback as your naked skin which is the important part. If going barefoot is a 10/10, then minimalistic shoes are 3/10 and normal running shoes 1/10. That’s according to the hard-core bare footers!
My suggestion is to “supplement” your regular running with some barefoot/minimalistic running in between. Use it to strengthen the small foot muscles and alter your running biomechanics so that you place less impact on your joints. It’s quite addictive though and actually feels great having the dirt between your toes again…just like when you were a kid.
Ric@PhysioPRO
BY: Riccardo Vaccaro
Foot injuries, General Health/Fitness, Lower Limb injuries
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